A run-down of the important dates at our first Major of the summer

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Hamburg we’re coming for you! Get these dates in your diaries for the smart Major Hamburg

Here at Swatch Major Series we love to be organized. After all it’s our job to put on the world’s best beach volleyball tournaments. It’s what we do.

So we’re sure you’ll be delighted to learn that our dedicated, brilliant, knowledgeable sports department have drawn up the match schedule for our first tournament this summer, the smart Major Hamburg! So it’s time to get some dates in your diaries…

The digging and diving gets under way at the Rothenbaum stadium, the city’s much-loved tennis center, on Monday 6 June with the men and women’s Country Quota Playoffs.

On Tuesday 7 June it’s qualification time – 24 matches are scheduled to take place between 8am and 6pm – and later that day the drawing of lots for the main draw takes place.

And that’s when action on court goes into overdrive. Over just two days (that’s Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 June if you’re still following) we’ll cram in 96 matches of beach volleyball action. We can already feel our fingers feeling the heat.

Now here’s where it all gets very interesting! We’ve got two words for you: Knock. Out. Yep, Friday 10 June is do or die, all or nothing, bodies on the line. Gone is the sanctuary of the Pool Play! Lose and you’re on the next flight home! Oh yes, it’s the knockout rounds.

Both the men and women will do battle in the rounds of 24 and 16 before the Friday comes to an exciting close with the four women’s quarterfinal matches.

Saturday 11 June: a non-stop day of the best beach volleyball action guaranteed. Honestly, there’s no less than eight hours of brilliant, back-to-back, fiercely competitive on-court drama in store.

The men’s quarterfinals kick-off Saturday bright and early at 10am before the women’s medal matches. We then hop back to the men as their semifinal line-up is then complete and then… *drum roll, please*… we have the women’s bronze and gold medal matches! The golds, silvers, bronzes, and smiles all on show at the awards ceremony at 6pm.

Annnnnnd if that wasn’t enough to leave you exhausted and craving for more, there’s still one day left! They say time flies when you’re having fun.

On Sunday the men take center stage. The first semifinal starts at high noon with the second quickly following an hour later. With the finalists known we’ll settle down for the fight for bronze before the grand finale – the 144th game of the main draw: the men’s final at 5pm.

After the winners are showered in glory it’s their turn to be showered in champagne at the medals ceremony at 6pm.

And that’s it. We’ll be wondering where the time went before attention turns to the next tournament…and just a fortnight until Poreč!

See you soon Hamburg! Bring it on!